Air-brake coupling-valve



T. A. TAYLOR 8v G.W. S. AUSTIN..

, AIR. BRAKE GOUPLING VALVE.

No. 558,265. 'Patented Apr. 14, 1896.

(No Model.)

Winesses. 'Y I/vven-ors.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS A. TAYLOR AND GEORGE lV. S. AUSTIN, O F KENTON, OIIIO.

AIR-BRAKE COUPLlNG-VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 558,235, dated April14, 1896.

Application filed February 13, 1895. Serial No. 538,243. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, THOMAS A. TAYLOR. and GEORGE W. S. AUSTIN, citizensof the United States, residing at Kenton, in the county of Hardin andState of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Air- BrakeCoupling-Valves, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a form of valve to be used in connection withthe ordinary form of couplings used for connecting the air-pipes ofair-brakes between cars.

The object we seek to accomplish with our valve is to overcome a defectin the successful operation of brakes now commonly in use, which oftenproves serious when by accident a moving train breaks its couplings at apoint anywhere between the middle and the end at which the engine isattached. NVhen this happens to be the case with air-brakes now incommon use, the air-pipe couplings automatically disconnect when thecar-couplin gs break apart and the pressure in the air-pipes is at oncereleased and the brakes are immediately set on all cars of both thesevered parts of the train as well as the engine. If the breaking apartof the train should take place very near the front end, the engine andthe few cars which were connected to it having less momentum than thegreater number and mass of cars in the rear portion would be stoppedfirst and the rear and greater and heavier part of the train wouldstrike it from the rear before it would be possible for the brakes toovercome the greater momentum of the rear section of a broken train.

When the breaking apart of a train occurs while traveling at a high rateofA speed, the disastrous results of a rear-end collision may be readilyanticipated, especially when the break occurs very close to the engine,leaving almost the whole rear end of the train to strike the front endbefore being stopped.

The hereinafter more technical portion of the specification will morefully describe the form, construction, and operation of the valve bywhich we overcome the above objection.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a transverse section of thecoupling on the line A A, as indicated on Fig. 2, which is a top view ofthe coupling. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, as indicated by the lineB B in Fig. 2.

In Fig. l the parts l, m, n, 0,19, q, fr, s, t, and u., which areintersected by the section plane A A, are shown solid instead ofsectionlined, as the remainder of the view is indicated. The same istrue in Fig. 3 of the parts 7., l m n o p, which are intersected by theplane B B.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The only part of this device which is now in use is the main externalshell forming the head a, and being attached and forming a part thereofare the lcam-plates b and c and the neck d, around which the rubber hoseis connected. The rubber packing-ring e is also a part of the olddevice.

Into the head e the cap f is screwed at f', said cap being cored out, asshown, for the reception of an eecentric'having the bearingss and t, thecrank-head q, and the crank pin or shaft o, On the side of the cap f,which will be uppermost when two couplings are connected, is thestuffing-box g, having the head g', which screws into the end of the boxg and bears snugly against the rubber packing-ring 7i., which setsagainst the crankhead q for the purpose of making an air-tight fittingaround the shaftzf, the outer end of which is square and fitted with theoperatinghandle u..

Vithin the head a is a cage formed of the two rings a. and b'-,connected by four straight bars c. When the cap j' is screwed down intothehead a, it presses the cage down upon the packing-ring c, holding itfirmly in airtight contactwith the bottom flange c of the head a. Vithinthis cage is the valve fv, having the stem o on the convex side and thestem n on the concave side. The end of the stem lnl passes through aloose-fitting hole in the circular disk m, and is provided with thewasher 1J and the key p'.

The disk m is connected to another circular disk Z by means of the twobars Z, and the disk Z is connected at the center of its upper surfaceto the connecting-bar k, which is in turn hooked over the eccentric-pinr. The spiral spring bears with one end against the under surface of thecap f, and with the other IOO end against the top of the flange of thecircular valve t, for the purpose of keeping said` valve seated againstthe packing-ring e.

When two heads a are to be coupled together in the usual manner, thestem of each coupling is set face to face, as in Fig. 1,

. and each forced back until the end of the away, thus setting thebrakes.

stem o?. strikes the lower side of the plate I, and the faces of thepacking-rings e brought in contact and the cam-plates b turned inbetween the cam c and the main body of the head a, thus binding the twoheads together. Vhen the stem o is thus` pressed back, the valve c ispressed back with it, thus opening the passage in the ring e and makingacontinuous air-passage in through the neck CZ, `lVhile in this positionit is serving the functions of any commonly-used coupling; but `it willbe observed that as soon as the two heads are uncoupled the'valve uis atonce forced `down upon its seat' by the spiral spring m, thus cuttingoif the escape of air from the air or train 4pipe and maintaining thepressure which keeps the brakes released.

It will be observed that if the valve vlof eachheada-would thusautomatically close as the heads a were uncoupled' the pressure in thetwo `severed parts of `the `train would bemaintained, andthe brakes onboth parts of the train would remain released,` whereas `theobject is toallow the `air to escapeV from the air-pipe and set the brakes ontherear portion of` the train and to prevent the escape of air from thefront end, thus keeping the brakes released and allowing the front endof the train to continue on out of the way of the rear portion until ithas stopped.

`To accomplish the above-stated object, the head a, Awhich -is attachedto the rear end of each car,=will have the parts operating the valve vset inthe position shown `in Figs. l and` 2, which will permit saidvalve to automatically close as-soon `as it -is uncoupled from `the headCL on the front end of any car `coupledvto it. This keeps the brakesreleased onany one car andi-all cars'between'it and the engine. Thecoupling on the front end of all cars will be set so the valve c cannotclose when `theair-pipes are uncoupled, `thus allowing the air to escapefrom `the air-pipe on the rear part of the train, which is broken Toaccomplish this, the valve fv is kept from closing by throwing thehandle uI over into the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. `By`thus turning this handle throughan arc of one hundred and eightydegrees the eccentric is given onehalf of 4a `revolution `and. the pin ri thrown to the highest point, raising the disks Z and m, and with themthe valve r. Vhen thc eccentric is in this position, the washer p restson the disk m,and the valve u cannot scat itself, thus leaving theair-passage open when uncoupled. By thisfdevice it may now be seen thatby having the valve 'u which `is in the coupler at the rear end of allcarsl set `in a released position by means of the handle u, as shown inFigs. l and 2, and by having valve u in the coupling on `the front endof all cars set by the handle-u so it cannot seat itself it will thenmake no difference where a train of cars breaks apart. The brakes of thefront section will stay released and on the rear section will be at onceset. The small projections .5 shown on the drawings are designed,simply, to keep the handle u in one position or the other, and whenthrowing it over will have spring enough in itself to be pushed past theprojections .e with little force.

In our device as thus described we claim and pray to secure by LettersPatentl. In an ai1brake-l1ose coupling-head, the combination of avalve-seat in its outer end, a packing-ring fitted therein, avalve'seated thereonhaving outward and inward projectingstems, a cagesurrounding` -said valve, a

- spiral spring therein for normallyseatingsaid valve,1a movable yokeloosely `connected to -said inward-projectingvalve-stem, the eccentricconnected to said movableyoke, means for operating said eccentric so astoprevent or permit the Lseating oit'` said valve, at will,

ysubstantiallyV asset forth.

2. In an` air-brake-hose coupling-head, the combination of avalve-seat'in its outer end, a valve seating thereon and having outwardand inward projecting stems, i the movable yoke looselyk connectedto-said inwardpro- Ajecting stem, theeccentric connected-to said movableyoke, means forioperating `said eccentric so as toprevent or permit Vtheseating of said valve,1atwillysubstantially-as described.

In an air-brake-hos e couplingl1ead,1the combination'of-a valve-seat inits outer end, a valve seating thereon@ and having outward and inwardprojecting stems, a cage surrounding `said valve, a spiral `springinterposed `therein for normallyseating saidvalve, a

movable yoke loosely connected to 4said inward-projecting 'stem ofthevalve, the eccentric connected to said movable yoke, the cap incasin gand carryingsaid eccentric, external threads on the `annular ange ofsaid cap to engage'with internal threads in the opening in theback ofcoupling-head, means for operating said incased eccentric-so as toprevent or permit the seating of said valve, at will, substantiallyyasset forth.

4. In an air-brake-hose coupling-head, the combination of a valve-seat`in its'outer end, a valve seated thereon and` having outward andinwardprojecting stems, a movable yoke loosely connected tosaidinward-projecting stem, the eccentric connected tosaidmovable yoke, thecap carrying and incasing said eccentric, means for operating saideccentric so as to prevent or permit the 'seating of said valve` atwill, substantially as shown.

5. In an air-brake-hose coupling-head, the combination of an air-openingin its outer end, a valve-located therein and having outward and inwardproj ccting stems, a movable yoke loosely connected to saidinward-pro-IOO IIO

j ecting stem, means for operating said movable yoke so as lto preventor permit the seating of said valve, at Will, a cap closing the openingin the back of said valve couplinghead, substantially as set forth.

6. In an air-brake-hose coupling-head, the combination of an air-openingin its outer end, a valve located therein having outward and inwardprojecting stems, a cage surrounding said valve, a spiral spring locatedtherein for normally seating said valve, a movable yoke connected tosaid inward-proj ecting stem, the eccentric connected to said movableyoke, the cap incasing and carrying said eccentric, external threads onthe annu ver attached to said eccentric-shaft for operl ating saideccentric so as to prevent or permit the seating of said valve, at will,substantially as shown and set forth.

THOMAS A. TAYLOR. GEORGE W. S. AUSTIN. Witnesses:

C. D. IAIUDGENS, CHARLES BRUMM.

